Young Carers

At Connaught we are committed to supporting Young Carers, whose lives are affected by the role they play in looking after a parent or another family member. A young Carer is a young person under the age of 18 who provides ongoing unpaid care for a sibling, parent or other significant family member. This can be someone with a diagnosed, long term/chronic illness, physical or learning difficulty, mental ill health, or substance/alcohol dependency.

At Connaught we believe that all young people have the right to an education.  If a young person looks after someone, we know that they may need additional support to help them get the most out of their education, and we aim to meet their needs.  We respect them for what they do and work hard to ensure they have full access to education.  We provide pastoral support in order to relieve them of some of the emotional worries they may have as they perform tasks and responsibilities beyond their age. We have a designated Young Carers ambassador who the children can turn to for support and advice.  Young carers share weekly support groups where they have squash and biscuits together before participating in fun activities such as sports, crafts and games.  They are provided with practical advice alongside a listening ear and the opportunity to talk to other children in their situation.

Currently our designated lead is Mrs Carroll, supported by Mrs Winter. 

To find out more about young carers and how we support them please see our policy under the policy section of our website.

 

‘Young Carers group is a safe time for talking about how I’m feeling with other people who understand and don’t judge me.’

James

‘ I like spending time with the group and sharing how we really feel. I don’t need to pretend or cover up because everyone just understands.’

Gabby

Some photos  of our activities:

‘I love coming to group and talking to other people in school, the activities we do are fun and help me forgot other things.’

Jessica

‘The biscuits and squash are a fun way to start group and help us relax whilst talking about what is happening.’

Tobin

‘I love group, Mrs Carroll comes up with fun activities, I especially like the art and craft ones.’

Maddison

“Young Carers group lets me think and be calm. I like the activities but I also like just knowing that everyone cares for me.”

Isaac